Slideshow: Industrial 3D Printing's Rapidly Evolving Portfolio

Plastic widget prototypes aren't the only things 3D printers can produce anymore. From titanium to chocolate, the uses and printers have expanded to affect every industrial sector.

Additive manufacturing was once widely considered just a gimmicky way to create some complicate-yet-flimsy little plastic part. It had no place in an industrial setting where machinists carved into giant steel hunks to sculpt smooth, shiny works of functional art.

After all, you need giant, powerful machining tools on the factory floor, not some oversized Easy Bake Oven. As companies need to do more with less, the substrative way of manufacturing seems a bit wasteful.

Here's a look at how current 3D printing methods are building their case for the widespread adoption in very industry.